APPEAL  FOR  PRAYER 


Addressed  to  the  Christian  People  and 
Churches  of  North  America  and  to 
Their  Missionary  Representa¬ 
tives  in  Foreign  Lands 


By  the  Committee  of  Reference  and 
Counsel  of  the  Foreign  Missions 
Conference  of  North  America 


We  stand  in  the  presence  of  critical 
decisions.  After  four  and  a  half  years 
of  war  marked  by  unprecedented  suffer¬ 
ings  and  appalling  losses  of  life,  we  have 
come  at  last  to  the  days  when  the  con¬ 
ditions  of  peace  are  being  formulated. 
Issues  of  incalculable  importance  are  at 
stake  in  the  negotiations  of  the  Paris 
Peace  Conference.  These  decisions  fix 
the  future  policies  of  Christian  nations. 
They  likewise  affect  the  welfare  of 
millions  of  people  in  non-Christian  lands. 
They  involve  the  major  portion  of  the 
human  race  in  agreements  whose  binding 
force  reaches  far  into  the  future  and 
affects  every  sphere  and  relationship  of 
life,  whether  political,  industrial,  com- 


mercial,  social  or  religious.  The  deci¬ 
sions  of  the  Peace  Conference  bear  an 
intimate  and  determining  relation  espe¬ 
cially  to  the  future  of  vast  populations 
which  have  been  the  object  of  our  for¬ 
eign  missionary  effort.  Shall  political 
conditions  within  these  areas  be  marked 
by  Christian  principles  of  justice  and 
service,  or  shall  they  subserve  selfish  and 
unworthy  ends?  Shall  religious  freedom 
and  missionary  liberty  be  established  or 
shall  they  suffer  limitations?  Shall 
reasonable  and  genuine  missionary  activ¬ 
ities  be  safeguarded  and  extended  or  shall 
they  be  hampered  and  reduced?  Shall 
conditions  be  established  which  make 
easier  and  more  effective  every  effort  to 
uplift  the  race  or  shall  they  be  such 
as  to  contradict  the  Gospel  of  the  Christ 
we  seek  to  carry  to  all  the  world? 

Unquestionably  the  difficulties  are 
great.  In  spite  of  high  intent  and  un¬ 
selfish  motives,  how  difficult  to  define 
the  right  pathway!  How  may  divided 
opinions  at  Paris  be  reconciled?  How 
shall  the  wide  differences  in  racial  view¬ 
points  and  national  attitudes  be  bridged? 
And  should  unworthy  motives  enter  in, 
how  greatly  will  the  difficulties  be  in¬ 
creased!  The  whole  problem  of  Chris¬ 
tianizing  our  international  relations  is 
now  brought  to  the  front.  Those  who 
at  this  critical  moment  have  come  into 


most  intimate  touch  with  the  actual 
situation,  declare  that  our  supreme  confi¬ 
dence  must  lie  in  the  mighty  power  of 
the  Spirit  of  God.  His  wisdoms  alone 
will  suffice.  Only  His  skill  can  fashion 
the  decisions  of  the  Nations  to  sub¬ 
serve  the  infinite  possibilities  of  coming 
days.  No  power  but  His  can  adequately 
rule  and  over-rule. 

Let  our  appeal,  therefore,  be  unto  Him 
in  these  days  of  crisis  and  far-reaching 
decisions.  It  is  the  peculiar  function  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  to  impart  wisdom  unto 
those  who  know  and  fear  Him — and  let 
us  thank  God  for  the  God-fearing  men 
who  are  members  of  the  Peace  Confer¬ 
ence.  Nor  is  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  limited  to  those  who  know  and  fear 
Him.  He  who  said  to  Cyrus,  “I  have 
called  thee  though  thou  hast  not  known 
me,”  is  able  to  lead  those  who  are 
strangers  to  Him  so  that  they  shall  build 
better  than  they  know.  He  who  is  able 
to  turn  the  hearts  of  kings  as  the  rivers 
of  water  are  turned  may,  through  our 
supplication,  order  all  the  decisions  of 
the  peace  delegates  for  the  advancement 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

To  this  end  we  issue  this  appeal  for 
prayer,  asking  that  the  Christian  public 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada  and 
also  our  missionaries  abroad  give  them- 


selves  to  such  regular  and  occasional  in¬ 
dividual  intercession  as  may  be  possible 
until  the  peace  negotiations  shall  have 
been  completed;  that  they  remember 
these  great  needs  at  the  family  altar  and 
at  all  public  services;  and  that  the  noon 
hour  of  each  day  be  used  as  a  mo¬ 
mentary  reminder  of  this  great  obliga¬ 
tion  to  prayer  and  as  an  opportunity  for 
such  intercession. 

On  behalf  of  the  Committee  of  Ref¬ 
erence  and  Counsel  of  the  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sions  Conference  of  North  America, 

William  I.  Chamberlain, 

Chairman. 

Alfred  Gandier, 

Vice- Chairman . 

Paul  de  Schweinitz, 

Recording  Secretary . 

Fennell  P.  Turner, 

Secretary . 


Feb.  28,  1919. 


